


I’m sorry, wanna punch me?

by orphan_account



Category: China Illinois
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fighting, i guess, idk man
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-07
Updated: 2019-12-07
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:22:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21703660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Steve and Pony have a great friendship... relationship... thing going, but one day Steve says something that takes it too far.
Relationships: Pony Merks/Steve Smith
Comments: 1
Kudos: 12





	I’m sorry, wanna punch me?

Things can change so fast. One second you can be laughing, having the night of your life with the three people you can always count on, and the next... You’re sticking your foot so far in your mouth you might as well change names and flee the country. Or, be a man and go apologize, and grovel.

* * *

“I look like what?” Steve paused, bottle raised to his mouth, to look at Pony. Frank was laughing and B.C was chugging down sad potions, but Pony was just looking back at him like he’d thrown her out of college or kicked her puppy. Her bottom lip quivered before she bit down on it. Frank had stopped laughing and managed to beat Steve to answering her question.

”You know, I can see it! Pony, Pony, put it back on and let me get a photo,” Frank demanded, voice somehow more annoying than usual. Pony slipped out of her chair, pulling her bag over her shoulder and throwing her hat on the floor.

“Screw you guys! I can’t believe you Steve, you-agh!” Steve, finally managing to move, shot us and threw some cash on the table before running after her. He caught her just outside the bar, grabbing her arm when she tried to hail a taxi.

“Pony, I didn’t mean it like that, I swear!” She shoved him away, not letting him see her face. He could guess why, after the limited times he’d seen her shields down.

“I know how you meant it, Steve! It just wasn’t funny. Do I really look like a bottle?” This was where he should have told her she was beautiful, and perfect, and not at all bottle shaped, but tonight he was just so fucking stupid and couldn’t say what he wanted to.

“You’re just a little curvy,” he offered, immediately realizing his mistake and wondering how things could go this awful. She turned on him, eyes as full of rage as they were tears. “Shit, no, wait. Pony, I’m trying to say that it doesn’t matter how your shaped, because-“

”Steve. I’m going.” And she left him there. He took a few steps after her but she wasn’t as drunk as him and stopped a taxi easily. The door opened and B.C and Frank stuck their heads out to look at him. 

“So, she didn’t like the bottle joke?”

* * *

He went straight to her room when they were back on Campus, banging on the door for half an hour before he heard her walking towards it. She only opened it a little but it was enough to see him and for him to see her.

”Pony, I-“ he stopped, searching for the right words, the ones that could fix this. The door shut in his face and he panicked. “No, Pony! Please, I’m sorry, I was being stupid and wasn’t thinking about what I was saying, so meaningless garbage was just spewing out, I swear! You are beautiful and wonderful and so fucking special, you have no idea how much I- How much I...” Love you, his brain shouted, but he couldn’t say it. Not to a cold door.

”It’s not locked, dumbass,” a girl said as she walked by. “We can’t afford new locks.” He reached down and tried the handle and was shocked to see it just swing open. Pony was on her bed, blanket wrapped around herself. She didn’t look up at him when he sat down by her, or move away when he put his arm around her shoulders.

”I’m sorry. I love you and you’re the most beautiful girl in town and you don’t look like a bottle at all.” She leaned into him, her body relaxing a little. 

“You’re a jerk, you know that. I should punch you for coming into the girls dorms, too.” He usually stayed away from dorms, but tonight was an exception. 

“I’d probably deserve it, but it couldn’t wait til tomorrow.” Not after we made so much progress these past few weeks. “And since when do your locks not work?” She laughed, a quiet little thing in comparison to her usual laugh.

”Since I moved in. To be honest I’m not sure they ever worked in the first place.” That was concerning, he thought to himself. The college could get real dangerous, but they could deal with that problem later. For now, he just wanted to hold her, and maybe... 

“Love you,” he said again, kissing the top of her head. 

“Love you too, asshole.”


End file.
